Meet The HoneyBeez, Alabama State's One-Of-A-Kind Plus-Size Dance Team That Keeps Going Viral For All The Right Reasons [VIDEOS]

Their story is bigger than one viral clip. College football Saturdays bring plenty of pageantry beyond the scoreboard. Marching bands and dance teams have become just as central to the gameday experience as the games themselves. Ad 0:00 Click for sound 0:00 / 0:00 HBCU programs take that tradition especially seriously. Halftime shows at schools like Alabama State routinely draw as much attention online as the action on the field. One group keeps finding its way back into that spotlight. Alabama State's dance team, the HoneyBeez, went viral again this week after clips of a recent performance spread across social media. The Team Has Required Plus-Size Dancers For Over Two Decades Alabama State HoneyBeez dancers (Photo via X) Unlike most college dance squads, the HoneyBeez actually require dancers to be plus-size to make the team. Band director James Oliver founded the group in 2004 after noticing a gap in Alabama State's existing dance line. SPIN IT. BUILD HIM. SIM THE SEASON. WIN THE SUPER BOWL? Oliver established specific eligibility standards to address that gap. Dancers must maintain a 2.5 GPA, enroll full-time at Alabama State, and weigh at least 250 pounds to join the squad. Get notified of the most viral College Football stories via Google! The team started with just five dancers willing to take a chance on something new. Oliver said he faced criticism early on from people who assumed the group existed to be mocked rather than celebrated. That skepticism faded as the HoneyBeez built a national following. Producer La La Anthony backed a 10-episode docuseries about the team on Snapchat in 2020, introducing the dancers to an audience far beyond Montgomery, Alabama. Their Popularity Has Made Them A Frequent Target Elsewhere HoneyBeez performing (Photo via X) The HoneyBeez's visibility hasn't come without friction. A Florida A&M band announcer referred to the team as 'the new face of Ozempic' during a halftime show last season, drawing swift backlash across the HBCU community. FAMU's president issued a public apology days later, calling the comment 'inappropriate and offensive.' Alabama State's president also defended the team publicly, describing their artistry as something that 'cannot be dimmed by negativity.' That controversy only seemed to raise the team's profile further. Fans continue sharing HoneyBeez performances online, often expressing surprise that a plus-size requirement exists at all in competitive college dance. Alabama State's Mighty Marching Hornets have long been considered one of the premier bands in HBCU football. The HoneyBeez remain a key part of that identity, built on a simple idea Oliver had two decades ago: talent doesn't have a single body type.